Once Upon a Rose revised
by Angel-in-a-dark-corner
Summary: Takes place during the Silver Millinium, and the moon gets attacked by Baryl, leaving Serena orphaned, friendless, and with out love, and in Diamond's castle, then she gets a new servant who is quite familiar
1. Chapter 1

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oNCE uPON a rOSE

Disclaimer: I do not own sailor moon, in any way or any form, even though that would be just so darn rocking

Chapter 1

She was wrapped up in two cold arms as she stood there, waiting for him. She turned around facing him and his midnight blue eyes, as she returned the hug. "Why do you always have to wear that thing?" Serena asked him in annoyance. "You know why, the Negaverse could attack any moment, we have to be ready." She sighed as she rested her cheek onto his armor clad chest.

"This sucks, I don't think this war will ever be over." The princess stomped her foot in aggravation. "Don't say that Serena one, day it will all be okay." The prince kissed the top of her head, smelling her beautiful long blonde hair, the smell of strawberries and crème. "Well, I guess you're right, but it's just taking too long, that's all." "I know, I know…" Endymion, said in a soothing voice.

They simply stood there like that, soaking up the world around them, for hours, watching the beautiful crystal waves wash up the shore of the lake they stood beside. Serena was dressed in a beautiful gown as she did everyday, being a princess required looking your best all the time, and she had only one favorite dress, the one that she wore at the moment, a beautiful flowing white gown, that hung at her every curve as it waved to the ground, and was held up by two gold shell shaped sleeves.

They just stood there, enjoying the peace, not having to deal with the chaos of living on two planets taking over by the fear of an attack, from their enemies. "I'm glad we finally had the ball tonight it was beautiful, best one I think." Serena said in a tired but, still perky voice. Every moment was like that out of a fairy tale. Serena held safe and warm in Endymion's arms as the rocked back and forth to the music. As they stood there they could still hear the music emitting from the lit up palace of Serena's mother, Queen Serenity, the queen of the moon.

"I'd hate to leave this moment, heck I don't think I'll go to sleep tonight." Serena said in a wishful voice, but it was disregarded by the yawn that followed. "Come on, Serena you need to go to sleep." Endymion said, with a worried tone. "No please just a few more minutes." She yawned into his chest, closing her eyes, as her face almost collapsed on to the hard steel. "Ow that didn't feel too good." She said rubbing her head. "Sorry." He said before changing out of his armor with a snap of his fingers. "Better?" He asked her as she rested her face on his chest. "Yep, thank you." She felt the warmth of his chest on her cheek putting a smile on her face, as she fell asleep right in his arms.

He smiled down at her as he heard her slight snore. A sure signal, that she had way too much fun that night, and needed her rest. Endymion bent down and picked her up in his strong arms, now only protected by tuxedo, no more armor.

He walked around the castle, as he went through the kitchen and onto a stair case, that he knew led to Serena's bedroom, it was easier for her to get a midnight snack. So he stepped onto the staircase, and walked up the steps, until he had gotten to the top of the staircase, and opened the door right in front of him. He was welcomed into the room, by her smell, and the sight of the Earth shining through her ceiling high window.

Careful not to wake her, he pulled back her huge comforter, still holding her with one arm, and then he lightly slid her into the blankets and covered her up tightly, tucking her in, and lightly kissing her on the forehead after he was sure she was comfortable, and wished her sweet dreams. "Love you, Endymion." Serena said in a yawn as she fell back to sleep in her comfortable bed, and he repeated back to her. "Love you Serena." He said before walking out of the room, closing the door shut behind him. Sure that niether of them would ever forget that night.

"Serena wake up!" Serena sat straight up as she felt someone shake her violently. She snapped her eyes open as she saw the violet eyes, of the Mar's Shenshi. "Rei what's wrong?" Serena said as she rubbed her eyes, clearing her vision even more, as she looked around to find all the Sailor Scouts were in her room. "You have to get up now, the Negaverse is attacking!" Sailor Venus said. Serena simply laid her head down again, as if this was an ordinary thing. "Nothing's going to happen this happens all the time." As she was about to close her eyes, a pain hit her heart. "Endymion." She said in a gasp.

Serena pushed herself up quickly slipping on her slippers. She ran to the window and realized this was not an ordinary attack, fire and destruction was everywhere, with mutants crawling all over the grounds of the palace. "Oh my god." Serena said covering her mouth from the horror, of all the people dying in front of her.

Her fear made her feet react instantly as she began to run out of her room to the staircase of to the kitchen. "Princess, wait!" Amy yelled out, but it was gone unnoticed by the terrified princess. Serena only heard the screams from the warriors outside.

"You will not have my daughter." Serena's feet froze as her mother rang out, in anger. 'They want me, but why?' The girl asked herself before following the voice.

With her fast running ability, gained by being late to all her classes, she got there in no time, looking up to see her mother, holding up Queen Beryl, a notorious bitch if you asked anybody on the moon. Beryl looked beautiful, with a long flowing purple gown and her long wavy red hair, but she disgusted Serena, with her sickening laugh.

"Oh please I don't want her, I want to _kill her._" Beryl said with a sickening cackle. Serena watched the profile of her mother and the demon fighting her, being so struck with shock, she didn't think of hiding from the horrid woman.

Her mother stood on the ground holding up the Imperium crystal, protecting her from every dark energy ball, that had been hurled at the queen. Incasing her in white light. Serena almost scared of her mother, as she had never seen her mother like this, always lighthearted, sometimes, serious, but never dead serious.

Serena stood there watching the black energy be shot at her mother and never took her eyes, off the fight. She looked at her mother with such intensity, happy to find out the mother hadn't even cringed, ad stood tall.

Queen Serenity must of felt the watchful pair of eyes, as she looked over at her daughter in fear, Beryl following suit. "aw here is the little princess now, this won't hurt a bit." Beryl said with another laugh, as Serena was frozen in fear, not able to move an inch, as the ball came closer, and closer to hitting her.

"Serena!" her mother screamed out, still not shaking her daughter. Then all of a sudden she was lifted up by two strong arms, ad carried to an alleyway, of temporary safety. "Serena are you okay?" The princess looked up, shaking with fear, wrapping her arms around her savior. "Endymion." She said in a whisper, as she broke into tears.

"I thought you were dead." She said between tears. "Shh, you almost got killed out there, what were you thinking?" He said holding her at arm's length, looking into her bubbly blue eyes, with his own dark blue ones. Her eyes were now filled with tears, tears for the people she had seen die, and the people she thought had.

She examined him as he did her, making sure that they had no wounds, he had found none, but Serena wasn't so lucky. "Oh my, you're bleeding!" She shrieked too loud, as she spotted the blood emerging from his now armor covered body. "No, it's just a scratch, don't worry about it." He waved her off, as she was about to examine it. "No it's not, you need a doctor." She said seriously, until finally he convinced he would be all right.

"Now stay here Serena." He squeezed her shoulders, and pecked her on the lips before quickly getting up, and leaving, out into the open. "No!" She screamed, before watching his back disappear around the corner. Frozen in fear she stayed in that spot, watching the corner where she preyed he would return, but soon she was startled by the husky voice belonging to her prince.

"If you want Serena, you have to go through me first." Serena crawled to the end of the alley, peaking her head out to see the back of Endymion, standing in front of the horrible woman, with his sword ready to protect Serena. He was not alone though. Standing beside him, was the Queen and the scouts ready to battle, to risk their lives for Serena, and that's when her heart broke in guilt. 'If it wasn't for me…" She trailed off when she began to cry, it hurt so much knowing all these people are dying because of her, and she would lose the people she cared for the most, and the ones she loved with all her heart, they were going to die and she knew it, and she couldn't bare, as she ran away in tears, farther down the alley way, hearing the screams of the scouts, and her mother, but she didn't hear him where was he, was he killed all ready?

"No!." She screamed at the thought, falling to her knees, to only become the victim of a large rock that fell on her head, knocking her out instantly, as the tears spilled down her cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own sailor moon! But soon... soon... just kidding!

Chapter 2

"The poor dear…" The young princess lightly opened her eyes to see her surroundings, not recognizing anything around her and the feel of the bedding was certainly not of her own. "Oh she is waking up, hello?" Serena fully opened her eyes, quickly shutting them as they were stung by the light. "Too bright." The young girl said shading her eyes with her arms. "Oh so sorry dear, let me turn it down, better?" Serena opened her eyes again at the soft voice. "Yes thank you." Serena began to sit up, when she had a terrible pain in her head. Reaching up and touching her hair, and it seemed fine, but as she ran it on the back she felt a slight bump.

"Hello, I'm Jasmine, the nurse." Serena looked at the fairly young, and skinny girl, with what seemed a piece of peasant clothing draped over her shoulders. "You should get your rest dear, you have been through a lot lately, so lay your head…" The nurse trailed off as Serena got out of bed clearly ignoring her orders. "Um, where am I?" Serena questioned, as she walked over to window, trying to see any clues as to what her whereabouts were.

"Well the prince's palace of course." Jasmine said with a perky tone. As soon as she did Serena almost burst with happiness. "Really where is he? Is he okay?" She added with concern. The nurse nodded yes. "He should be joining us shortly, now if you would please lay down, I would like for you to get some rest." Serena did what she was asked to do, and laid back into the soft bed, as she waited for her prince. "Do you know when he will be arri…" Her voice trailed off as she heard footsteps walking down the hall towards her doorway, one that must of belonged to a man, and they were followed by footsteps, belonging to a woman.

She shook with anticipation as she waited to see…Diamond. "Hello Serena." His silver hair falling in his dark blue eyes, made him almost irresistible, but it had not been what Serena was…expecting. "Oh hello dear." Came a sweet voice, but it made Serena cringe all the same.

In walked what she knew to be the queen, Prince Diamond's mother. Wearing her long silver hair in a tight bun, and with an elegant, if not huge like a house, dress. And as always she was accompanied by her ferret, Fluffykins. The queen never liked Serena, but she hid it, unlike her ferret, always hissing at the young girl, scaring her, when she would come and visit. "Hello your majesty." Serena said it her most formal voice. "Oh dear no need to be so uptight, you can call me mom." The queen rushed to the end of Serena's bed, pushing the nurse out of the way, and there was no way she was calling _that_ woman mommy, while her mom was still alive, and she was, right?

"I'm sorry to be rude, but um where are the others." Serena said suspiciously. Then the room was silent, and no one had a smile on their face, except the queen, who had a brilliant smile plastered on her wrinkly, aged face. "Well you see…" The nurse began from the corner, but was cut off by the woman that stood in front of Serena. "They're dead." The woman said it so bluntly, Serena still had a smile on her face at the thought of seeing her mother again, and the midnight blue eyes she missed so much.

It had only sunk in after a few slight moments. "What?" Serena said with a tear forming in her eyes and a pain in her stomach, but still her face waited to smile, as if they were just joking with her. "I'm so sorry dear." The woman said wrapping Serena in her puffed up arms. "Soon you will marry my son, and forget about that wretched prince." Serena sank back in shock. "What did you just say?" Serena said in terror, did the woman really just say that to her face. "What, I didn't say anything?" The woman shook her head, but Serena knew she had heard that so loud and clear as if it was screamed out to her, in a sickening laugh. "You said I was going to marry your…" Again the woman cut her off. "Dear you are hallucinating, now we better be going and Jasmine will show you your living area, come Diamond, we must leave." Diamond hesitated for a second. "But mother…" It took one look from the woman, and Diamond immediately left the room, leaving a crying Serena, holding her head in her hands, letting the tears simply spill, and tasting the salt as she opened her mouth to cough and hack as she ran out of breathe.

"They're gone." She said in a whisper, as the nurse wrapped her in her skinny arms, Jasmine trying her best to cheer the young girl up. "I hope she is okay." Serena looked up at the nurse's face as the words were heard, but yet the nurse never moved her mouth. 'What is going on?' Serena thought as she heard the comforting words so clearly, and it was the nurse, she was sure, but yet her lips did not move. "Come now princess, we should get you to your room, let me just get the key." Serena made sure the nurse's lips moved with the words, and was relieved, it was probably just the bump she got on her head.

Jasmine lifted up the key, recognizing it as soon as she saw it placed on the dresser, but it had to be a mistake. The room that was opened with the key, was the highest one, like ones you read that a princess is caught in, and that is where the queen put her darkest secrets, but what harm could this simple girl do to the queen, the nurse pondered this until she saw Serena begin to get ready to move to her room. "Can we go now please, I would like to be alone if you don't mind." Serena tried her best at a smile and it worked for a little while, until finally they had reached the room, that she was meant to stay in, and walked in, after hearing the door close, and the click of a lock, she knew that she would know get piece and quiet.

Serena held her hard features, as she roamed around the room, looking at her new bed, and her new everything, everything so different. The only thing she liked in the room, is the thing that to let her out of it, the balcony. She opened out the window doors, as breeze welcomed her to the outside.

She also found the collection of books, quite fascinating, finally she picked out a book of Myths and returned to the outside and sat herself upon the rocking chair that was so nicely set out for her, rocking back and forth as she sat down, holding the book in her hands, looking at the beautiful pictures, and reading the depressing stories of the gods, knowing that her story should be upon them.

She knew now that all that loved her was gone, and somehow she knew that it would be a long time until she was let out of the room, for another reason than eating.

But she was surprisingly happy, to be there, no more stingy bed, now she was on the outside and it seemed as if it had been a month since she had been outside, when in fact it was two, that she was knocked sleeping in a coma. Being aided by the nurse, and Diamond would come in and visit hold her hand, she knew of that, or she knew someone was with her, as she was in a deep sleep, but again, she didn't not think it was Diamond.

She spilled a whole new batch of tears as she thought that she would never see Endymion again, but only in her dreams, as she did in her coma, now she wished she had stayed in the state, and if she only what was to happen when she came out of it she would cling to the permanent slumber with tooth and nail if she had to.

(Two years later)

Serena was now so different, and when she looked in the mirror she knew that her mother wouldn't even recognize her if she had ever seen her again, neither would any of her friends, only one person would find her in her new mass of hair that hung in her face and the grimace she had her face in, and he was no longer alive.

About every moment she would think of him, as she looked at the earth and when, well when she even took a step, never letting him, or the rest of her loved ones leave her mind. Over time she began to blame herself for her loss, telling herself she deserved to be alone for the rest of her life, but a month after her imprisonment, she found three starving cats that had been living quietly in the corner of her room. She never really had the chance to find them since she decided to avoid the room, accept to go to bed and that was not very often that she didn't fall asleep watching the Earth, in her rocking chair. There was one white, one black, and what seemed to be their kitten, which was gray. She named them after Luna, Artemis, and their own child Diana, as the cats held the same features of her old tutors.

It's nice to have such sweet company, after everyone else knew of her curse. Somehow when she was hit in the head, she had been giving the power to read minds of the people she touched. It may have been passed down by her mother, her mother had the same curse, which made her mom, very hard to lie to, not that she tried.

Now Serena had the company of the cat's, her stories, that she was sure she had memorized and the happy memories, as she tried to black out the sad ones, which just came back to haunt her during the night.

"I must have that damn crystal." The Queen slammed her fist into the table, almost scaring the ferret to having a heart attack, as her son stood perfectly still looking out to the permanent night. "Are you listening to me!" The mother shrieked at her son, as he still stood there watching the stars, and the land below him. "That bitch will die, if she has to." At the Diamond turned around. "You promised me that I got to marry her!" He yelled at his mother, her mother stood up walking over to her son, with a scary smile on her face, and as she reached him, she smacked him so hard the birds in the trees close by had been scared out of their trees. "Don't you dare raise your voice at me. Now, you will marry her, but if she does not give me the crystal I might have to dispose of her, do you understand?" Diamond nodded.

"I doubt that she will though." He said turning back to the window as if nothing happened. "What won't that brat do?" Again the queen said in a satanically sweet voice. "Marry me." He said in an almost said voice. "Oh please just as long as that prince of Earth doesn't come back she will marry you." He shook his head at his mother's thought. "She still loves him, though I don't see what she sees in the dead guy anyway." He scoffed, knowing dead or alive, he was so much better than that Endymion.

"Well he is dead so what does it matter? Now sweetie you should get your rest, the little witch has another prince coming to meet her, and you have sabotage him, as much as you can, not that she'll need any help, with turning them off." She ended with a laugh as he left the room to go to his and silently fall asleep, and dreaming of his bride to be.

"I know Diamond is falling for her, and that is not good, I would hate to have to kill him too, if he was to get in my way." The queen spoke to her ferret, as if it was a real person. "Oh and then I have his father to deal with, he is beginning to like the girl too, maybe I should accuse him of adultery, and have him killed, no, we don't want anybody thinking I'm not a good wife, but what can I do?" She pondered this until she found it fit to go to sleep, in her huge bed one that belonged to the king, but it seemed that the king was banished to the couch for the rest of his life.

It had been two years, since the wretched girl entered the castle, and now The Queen's castle was being attacked causing many of the servants to die, and she was in short supply, so she told herself to go get up posters for job at the palace, god the girl was causing her too much trouble, and the queen knew it was on purpose. If only Serena would give her that crystal, it would be all good, but no the selfish girl wouldn't give it up. The situation raised the hate in the queen for the girl, making her do relentless chores, but still the girl didn't crack.

But the queen did not dare to touch the girl for fear of her thoughts being revealed, and she had been disgusted to touch her in the first place, stupid moon trash, all goody goody.


	3. Chapter 3

Serena again sat out on her precious rocking chair as she softly hummed a tune, as she read the Greek mythology for about the millionth time, but she barely even paid attention to the words, as a story of her own, a memory, came hurtling through her mind, as if it had happened the day before.

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Its so pretty out here. Serena said in awe, as she sat next to the teenaged boy. Well happy birthday Serena. He said in a smooth voice as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Here you go. he whispered in her delicate ear as she grasped a box that was laid in her hand, covered in a bunny, and moon wrapping paper, with a purple bow at the top.

Oh Endymion you didnt have to get me anything she said, as she unwrapped the paper. But he laughed as he envisioned her if he hadnt, stomping off and pissed, that he hadnt thought of her.

Well I did. He said with a smile, as revealed her present. Dangling from her fingers was a silver chain with a small moon, at the end. Go ahead and open it. She did what he said at a beautiful soft tune emitted from the beautiful locket (sailor moon theme song tune, but slower, you probably know what Im talking about.) She was amazed by the music. It plays only when we are together. Serena turned her head to look at him. Then I hope it never stops. She whispered and bit her lip. She turned back to the lake they sat in front of.

Its so beautiful. She breathed in awe as she twirled it slowly in the air as the music still played.

Serena gripped at the little chain around her neck, so gently, sure not to break the old necklace around her neck. It sounded pretty stupid, but she read that when a clasp of a necklace moved down and placed itself above your heart that means someone is thinking of you. She knew it probably wasnt true, but the necklaces clasp never moved from the spot above her heart, and it gave her the slightest bit of hope, someone still loved her, and thought about her night and day.

She took a deep breathe as she blew out to the dark. It had been so long since she had seen the sunlight, not being able to visit Earth since the big war began. The moon was a beautiful place, for the most part, but it was the light for the Earth when it was cased in darkness, but where was the moons light. Now that her kingdom was gone, the moon seemed like a light for the Earth, but not being able to give light to its own people.

The Negaverse had stolen it all from her and she clenched at the arms of the chair, thinking of how she would destroy Queen Mettalia, and the awful witch Beryl. Knowing that when the time came, the princess would not give mercy to the demon of a woman, but it seemed that the time would never come, she was forced to say in this room forever, only let out to meet princes, and to eat, when the king snuck her out.

Serena turned her attention to the Earth, happy to see it so lit up with happiness, even though its kingdom must be in ruins too, without their prince. The Earth knew the pain the moon did, and that made her sad in a way, but it held strong, as the moon crumpled to bits.

She returned to her stories for only a moment before she heard a shriek of a voice. Serena come down here, there are some men here to see you. The young girl almost gagged at the thought of meeting another money grubbing, slob. She took a quick peak at the mirror before she left.

Her hair was no longer in her odangoe style, now just dragging behind her hitting the floor, and her bangs hung in her face. It was the color of a dulled yellow, no more luster or shine in it, just more like a dirty blonde, boring and dead. Her eyes shined no longer with a bubbly spirit but dulled to a crystal blue, without a sparkle. She walked over to her wardrobe set in one of the corners of the room, and she picked out her favorite dress, but putting it back almost instantly, the queen would not let her wear it and instead would send her back up to change, so she picked out the most gouty, puffy, sparkly dress. The queens favorite for such occasions as this.

Serena quickly got dressed and did nothing with her hair, as she opened the door that was now unlocked by the queen, as her cats followed her. Luna, and Artemis stood beside her, as Diana the still very young kitten played with the strands of hair that followed Serena.

Soon Serena was down stairs, walking down to meet the two gentlemen that had come to sweep her off her feet. Serena sat in her usual spot, at the head of the table, farthest away from the queen, as only the king sat by her side, for he had no fear of her knowing his thought, and she thought it was quite sad, because he had none.

Serena looked back and the two men that joined them at the table, both of them must have been over forty and already lost most of their hair. Oh god. Serena thought as the men looked at her with hunger in their eyes. Welcome. Serena said hiding her disgust for the two men, and tried only to look at the only decent sight in the room, the turkey in the middle of the table.

Serena would barely touch it but it was beautiful all the same, with the glistening skin and the colorful vegetables set around it for decoration. Then as she heard the clack of footsteps across the marble, she saw another thing she could look at. Prince Diamond was a sight for sore eyes, she would admit, with his chin length silver hair, as it fell into his face covering his dark blue eyes, with such intensity behind them.

Diamond and her had had a past that was true, he was even her boyfriend at a point in time, but that was until Her thoughts trailed off as she saw him sit down next to her. Why was he sitting by me? She questioned, Diamond usually sat by his mother, barely even looking at the young girl during the course of the meal.

Hello Serena. Diamond said with a deep, but almost harsh voice. He had hardened features, and never cracked a smile, but as he sat next to her, it seemed that was all he could, like an idiot. Serena guessed she had that effect on people, specially the part of humanity that had something special between the legs.

Still the prince was careful not to touch Serena for fear of her ability. Lets begin shall we. The queen said, announcing the beginning of dinner. As Serena watched all the people at the table, picking out the food they desired and putting it on their plate. She tried not to look at the horrid sight of the two men , eating their at their hearts content. All she could do was play with a napkin she had taking from the table, almost ripping it to shreds.

She felt the cats under the table lay by her feet as the young one still played with her hair, oh how she couldnt wait to get out of there.

She ripped and ripped, until she felt a strong hand grab hers, a warmth she hadnt felt in a long time. Calm down. She heard Diamonds voice as she looked over to him, but he didnt return the stare, but she saw the corners of his mouth turn up. Its okay. He thought as she read his thoughts.

Diamonds hand was warm, had he really been holding her hand. She looked down and there was her proof. Did he know what he was doing? Well it was practically announced to the whole freaking palace, so she guessed he had.

The whole dinner, she hadnt eaten anything. Not wanting to look like a pig, though the two men sure didnt mind.

Instead the whole night she grasped the napkin, and ripped and ripped, when Diamond had let go of her hand. She still felt so agitated, just couldnt wait to get up to her room. Back to her stories out on her balcony.

After an hour or two, her wish came true. It was now time for her to go back up to her room, her prison. Get back to her balcony, her freedom.

Serena didnt bother with meeting the new men. They would just be sent away anyway. She would never see them again. Why the queen had made her meet them, confused her.

She knew that the queen, would just simply, make her marry Diamond. Maybe it was some kind of torture, a punishment. What did she do?

Of course she really didnt hate the fact that she would soon be marring Diamond. She had fun with him when they were younger, but then he grew up.

He became a cold person, just like his mother. No longer having time for fun, and no longer smiling at the simple things in life. His heart had grown cold. He would be only a slight bit more pleasant around her. She could always tell he was acting.

Now when she felt his warm grasp, it seemed that he was back again, happy, not like his mother at all. Oh how she wished it would be true.

Serena was escorted up to her room. Led in by a servant, and the door closed behind her. A very familiar click as the door was locked.

Serena ignored every thing else in her room as she walked out to her balcony. It was especially cold that night. The wind brushing through her hair, and the stars shining bright, even through the clouds of gray.

She never used to see the stars, what had been so special that night. A sign of hope maybe.

No, it couldnt be. No more hope for her. Stuck here the rest of her life.

So she sat again on her rocking chair, picking up her book, and placing it on her lap, opening it up.

She read it for about twenty minutes, when her eyes began to droop. She was quite tired, but she sure wasnt ready to go to sleep yet. She was still very intent looking at the Earth.

She stood up from her chair, walked to the balcony, and gripped the cold stone railing.

She leaned over the railing, looking down the dark village beneath her. It seemed so cold down there, poverty everywhere, but of course with such a kingdom as this, and with such a queen. It was all clear to her.

Serenas Hair fell over the railing, making her look as if she was Repunzel waiting for her prince to come. With her waterfall of brown hair, falling well past the bottom of the balcony, and maybe after a few years, there will be enough to have her prince to climb up. But who was her prince, and boy would that hurt.

Still she would easily bare it, if it meant she would get out of this place. Still, now she would need a prince, and that was gone.

Still Serena didnt hate the idea of being with Diamond, it was a nice alternative. What was she thinking? She would never fall in love again, but no matter what she would get married.

There was no more hope for love, but a certainty for marriage. Would she live through it?

Serena was suddenly startled by a coo that had emitted from beside her. She turned her head to find a little blue pigeon beside her. It bobbed its head, and made a coo every so often.

She examined it for a while. Waiting for it to fly away, but it didnt instead it lifted its little leg. Serena noticed a little metal tube tied around it, in a beautiful blue ribbon.

The young girl slowly walked over to the bird, not wanting to startle it. It didnt move though, just perched there.

Serena simply untied the ribbon, saving it for later, and grasped the tube in her hands, popping the lid off.

Inside sat a little wrapped up piece of parchment, with a little piece of writing on it. She pulled it out careful not rip it. She unwrapped the piece of parchment, and read it.

__

Hi, what are you reading?

Serena almost couldnt believe it was for her. But then why did the bird fly to her. At the moment she didnt care though, she had a new friend. A person who wanted to talk to her.

She ran into her room, ripping of a little piece of paper, from a parchment that the queen gave her. She took her quill and wrote a quick message, onto it.

__

Greek myths, do I know you?

She read it over in her head. Before leaving out to the balcony she grabbed a piece of bread she had, and crumpled it up in her frail hands.

She walked out and spread it across the floor for the bird, it flew down to the food and quickly finished it, now ready to fly off with a message.

Serena stuck the note in the tin, and tied it to the birds leg with and old one of her ribbons. Sending it off flying with a smile.

So began a friendship. And a very mysterious one at that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been about three months since she had gotten that first letter and already Serena seemed to be so connected to her secret friend. She had no idea how she had lived through so much time in a place like that and not have a companion such as the person who sent her letters everyday. They spoke of the books they read what they had done, but of course they usually could not finish all they wanted to say to each other in one letter the pigeons were small and they could only carry small tins.

So she settled for only a few words per day, but it seemed to be enough to keep her going. She had gone through meeting five suiters in the past months and she actually did it with a smile on her face, as if she enjoyed, and when she got in trouble she would smile and hum as she did the patchwork on her balcony. She laughed at the words she remembered him saying to her the day before. Or what she said to Serena, she didnt really know what her friend was. But of course she did not care. this person talked to her as if he thought she was the smartest and most beautiful person in the world and she did the same.

She now sat on her balcony rocking back and forth as she hummed to herself the beautiful music of her locket. A song that had stopped a long time ago, but she still remembered. She would never forget it. Every night and now it lay open in her hand and his picture looked faded but it never stopped glowing with his life. Oh how she missed him so.

She closed the locket when she felt a light peck on her toe and a sting in her eye as if she was about to cry. She looked down and the lovely pigeon sat in front of her and as expected the bird carried a tin on its leg. Tied on by a little piece of twine that was so simple, but she kept it anyway in a little pouch she held under her pillow.

She slipped the note out of the tube and unrolled the note in her delicate palm.

She read slowly:

You will have to guess my name, and yes it is a mans name  She giggled at the end of the note. And jumped from her chair startling the bird that stood waiting for its piece of bread. Oh sorry. Serena said to the bird and skipped over to the place she hid the daily piece of bread for the bird. Making sure it was an extra big piece for the fact that the bird had to wait.

She read the note and jumped for joy startling the pigeon that was occupied eating the bread crumbs it was so happy to get. Now it expected it so she was just too happy to give it to him. She was about to sit down and write more when she saw another piece of a paper in the tin.

She pulled it out and rolled it out. She read:

You spoil my bird?

At first she did not understand it, but then she knew. It was his way of telling her that he could see her. Most girls she knew would cringe at the fact men could see them at their worst, but she was glad that he had seen her cry so many times, worn ugly puffy dresses, and have the ugliest hair days ever and still want to talk to her.

So she stood up and if he could see her, Serena waved at him and anybody else who was looking, but It was especially to him.

She sat down again and took her last piece of parchment and her quill and put it to the paper, but once she did it was as if the thought popped in her min. Will I ever meet him? She did not want to think of the fact that it was impossible for them to meet under their circumstances. She was a princess with men chasing after her, and a man whose was just going to force her to marry her son.

So they would never have a real chance to meet, but she would hope that they would never stop sending letters to each other. But she would never she his face and her eyes were stung by the thought. She tried to stop the tears from falling, but one had already fell to the paper and she knew that there were more to come.

She pushed them back until the stingy drop covered her eyes and she could not see in front of her nose. She had to close her eyes and then they seemed to go away, hidden away for another time so he would not think her weak. But when she opened her eyes se saw that they had covered the paper. She thought of getting a new piece of paper, but she had no more.

Then she had the thought of just not writing anymore. If she stopped now it would save her pain later, she would get used to it, and she would go on with her life with

Ouch! She squealed as she felt a sharp beak poked into her dainty toe.

Alright alright, Ill write quickly. She took the birds anger as a sign so she quickly wrote a question she didnt know if she wanted the answer to. Will I ever meet you? She read back to herself, and she reluctantly stuffed it into the tube and tied it to the birds foot with a ribbon she had worn that day. Which came as a shock to the people around her. She had not worn any ribbons during her time in the castle. So it was quite a shocker.

She sent the pigeon off with a kiss on the head and watched as it flew away. Into the night to an unknown destination. She strained her eyes to see where it landed but soon it was gone. No landing in sight. She sighed with disappointment and walked over to the other side of the balcony. Turned away from the pigeon, and began to cry. She let her tears wet the plants, and trees far below. No one could see her so she let it fall for hours. About everything. Like she did very night, but tonight she took extra precaution so that he wouldnt she her a her weakest.

The next morning she woke up in her chair and stretched before trying to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes, but it did not work. She was fully awake and she had to get up or she might be permanently stuck in the chair so she stood up. Stretching the rest of her body and waved in the direction of where she thought he was, and walked into her room.

She walked over to the bookcase and pulled out her favorite book of myths and was about to open the book when a knock wiggled Serenas door. She walked over to it knowing the knock was too soft for the queen so she opened it with a smile on her face.

Hello dear. An old man stood in front of her. His wrinkly body trembling from age. Your majesty. Her voice worried as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders so he would not fall, and get hurt.

Your majesty you are not supposed to be out, you might get hurt. And Serena knew she would be blamed for it. Dont worry my love is asleep so this little walk can be our little secret. How he said my love while referring to the queen and keeping a straight face was beyond Serena.

She walked him down one of the many staircase, the only one that didnt end up passing by the queens room, and into the garden, while holding him up by her shoulders.

It was scary how light he was on her shoulders. It seemed that he had not eaten in so long, even though she watched eat as much anybody else at the dinner table. While she had a piece of meat and a roll with no butter. It scared her that she had eaten less than him and he was lighter than her.

His steps were strained and he slapped the ground with his pale white feet, as she cringed as if she knew they would be caught if he was heard. Soon he began to step lighter as if he could read her mind. But when she read his mind it was all blank. His thoughts wiped of everything.

They walked silently for a while until they were outside in a garden that they both loved. It was filled with flowers that could only bloom in complete darkness, which was quite ironic since when they did their colors were light and beautiful.

The flowers are in bloom. The king said as if it was a surprise even though every time he would walk by them they were, and he would still be surprised. Serena just nodded.

You remind me of the flowers every time I look at you. The king said in a shockingly strong voice. Serena looked at him in shock , had he actually thought of that.

What did you just say your majesty? She asked In complete shock, and his strength seemed to fade back into his dull state. Oh nothing dear, just an old man babbling. She looked back as if he had fallen away again.

What a beautiful night. Serena looked up and saw nothing special about the night, nothing but a few measly stars. As she looked at the king with stars eyes in his eyes as he looked at the sky she became very annoyed. She looked up again and a shooting star shot across the sky and she didnt bother making a wish, but as she looked back at the king he seemed to close his eyes in slight concentration and open them.

When she searched for his wish, it seemed to vanish as he smiled back at her. She couldnt take him anymore. So she walked him over to a chair in a garden and sat him down. So he could look up at his stupid sky and she smiled down at him.

Good night majesty. She walked back into the castle back up the stairs and into her room. She almost ran to the balcony to let her tears fall to the ground, but before she could she heard the coo of a pigeon.

She smiled and wiped away her tears before she ran over to the pigeon and took the tin from his leg. But when she was about to reach for it, the birds leg jerked back and she knew exactly what he wanted.

She ran into her room and picked up another piece of bread. She crushed it in her hand and laid it on the floor. She looked up to the pigeon and it nodded its head and flew down and began to eat, but before it could she held her hand out for its leg.

It poked it out quickly and she untied the tin and stuck the twin in the pouch. She ran out to the balcony and pulled out the piece of paper. She unrolled and read it.

Very soon. She looked at it as if it wasnt real. Were the words true? Was he just trying to cheer her up? When he did come would he be what she expected? She was trying to think of what to ask him, so she picked up a piece of parchment she had received from the king on their walk and wrote down a simple few words.

Ill be waiting she read back to herself and put it in the tin, a little less than satisfied. But it would do she decided as she stuffed it back in the tin and wrapped it with a ribbon to the birds leg.

She kissed the bird on the head, and sent it on its way back to its owner, who she was hopefully going to meet very soon. If she had known that that was the last time she would see the bird she would of held onto the bird for so much longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been nine days and Serena woke up to the tenth one in some kind of pain. Her heart seemed like it just didnt want for her body to go on anymore. She just didnt want to live in this existence any longer. Her body now felt like just some big pile of worthless muck, and when she tried to get up her starved body only protested to any kind of work.

She had not stepped out of her room for the nine days since she had seen the bird. Her worst thoughts had come true. Her truest friend had left her and never come back. She preyed for the bird to come back even for one last time. Just so she would know why.

Why did he stop writing? What happened to him? What was his name? Everything question ranging from trivial to something that seemed to eat at her heart ran through her head. She slowly opened her eyes to complete darkness, her chair turned away from the earth now. She just couldnt look at it anymore.

She cursed it's bright and happy exterior. But she knew it crumbled under the pressure. The dark kingdom was growing stronger everyday, and she heard of spies in the kingdom of earth. She would feel sorrow for those on earth if she could stop feeling jealous.

She didn't even read anymore it just brought too much pain to handle now. So she pretty much did nothing anymore. She felt like she was pitiful and she knew she was filled with self pity, but she didn't deserve to be like this. She didn't deserve everything taken away from her. Not even her cats were beside her anymore.

They had left unexpectedly and she wanted them to come back. They brought the slightest bit of a smile to her face, but when the letters stopped coming the kitties left. Serena thought it was just mere coincidence.

"Meow" Speak of the devil. Serena shot up from the chair and she cringed for a while as she felt her muscles strain to get her up, but she soon ignored it as she ran to a little gray cat who sat in her corner. It's belly even bigger than the last time she saw it.

Serena scooped it in her arms as the cat rubbed her face with it's beautiful fur. Serena smiled for the first time in so long.

Luna and Artemis were soon behind and they were also welcomed into Serena's arms as they meowed. She walked them out to the balcony she almost sat down before a shrill voice pushed her eyes into a roll.

Serena bent down to pet her beautiful cats and walked to the door opening it with the gloom of a funeral placed on her face. The queen was all smiles as she pushed a huge ball of purple material into Serena's arms.

"You have an hour to be ready and I suggest you wash up." The Queens eyes narrowed at every speck of dirt on Serena's skin and turned with a not very well hidden look of disgust on her face.

Serena turned to her cats shutting the door and mouthed the words witch and they seemed to smile. She smiled back and slipped on the dress at didn't even mind her dirt clad body as she walked out into the hall. Her hair dragged a couple of inches behind her and now it was a dirty brown.

Diana still played with her hair even though she seemed to be too old for that. As her parents walked beside her and held their heads up high. As if they were proud to be walking beside such a dirty girl with such a horrendous dress.

Serena walked down the stone corridor and suddenly felt like taking a detour.

Her body collided with someone else's as she made it, Diana scattering to the side of the wall to dodge her falling butt and the others running forward to meet the body she had collided with.

She heard him cough and her heart skipped a beat once she felt something so familiar make her heart sweat. She kept her eyes to the floor not wanting to show the surprise on her face, as she knew it was a male standing before her. She just waited for him to walk past her, but instead she soon looked at a hand about as dirty as her face.

"Sorry miss, I didn't see you." Her head shot up as if she had heard something scandalous. Her eyes connecting with a blue that she knew she would never she in her life and for some reason she had to gasp for breathe as she kept looking. "Endymion?"

His eyes widened only for a second and that was all it took for Serena to notice his blonde hair. She turned her head in shame. It couldn't be him. She felt like she wanted to die. She turned back to him and he still held out his hand to her. For some reason it came so naturally to grasp it that she didn't think of the consequences.

'I have to find her.' His thoughts sounded like a some song she longed to hear. God did it sound like him. "Excuse me who are you looking for?" She asked with out thinking. Her curiosity got the best of her and his eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you know I was looking for someone?" She looked at him for a moment and realized how familiar his face looked.

'She seems so familiar.' His thoughts whined as she realized she still held onto his hand. She quickly took her hand. His hand hanging in midair as he still looked at her.

"I guess you could just call me gifted." She said to the floor. He would find out sooner or later, by one of the other servants. She guessed she could at least avoid it as long as possible.

"Nobody, don't worry about it." He looked at the floor now both in an awkward moment of their own until finally he made an excuse to leave and he did.

She searched his fleeting back for something. She didn't know what, but she only turned away when he had turned a corner. She began to go towards the dining area and when she past a coupled of servant girls she couldn't help but listen in when she heard them speak of a new servant boy.

"He is quite handsome isn't he." They both giggled. Serena smiling only slightly. Her cats stood beside her all three seemed to listen in on the conversation.

"Serena where are you?!" Serena ran down the hall thinking she must be late and she quickly made it to the staircase her joint's creaking with such extreme activity after so long with none. She looked around and her heart start to thump inside her chest noticing all the people who ad gathered in such a small room.

They all ate, but the one head that stuck out was a blonde one. The boy from the corridor. He was serving food and the queen seemed to notice how handsome he was by the way she smiled at him. 'Gag me.' Serena thought slightly smiling.

He seemed to notice her presence because he had looked up for just a second to catch her gaze causing what ever he was pouring to end up on her majesty.

"Stupid boy!" The woman shrieked and everyone turned and he ran be smart and ditching any attention he got. He took one second, though, to smile at Serena as he retreated into the kitchen. She smiled at couldn't but to give him a fake bow.

When he was completely in the kitchen she turned back to see what the queen was doing, and she sucked up every face expression. Seeing that the queen was giving her an evil glare.

Serena walked down gracefully and soon she was at the table sitting next to the king, and when she looked around she found to know none of the people around her, except the king, the queen, and Diamond. His brother Sapphire sitting next to him staring at a servant girl.

Serena shook her head until Diamond caught her attention. His hair tied up in a pony tail. He looked particularly handsome this evening, but she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. His eyes were hypnotizing so she could only look directly at them for a few seconds without feeling a chill run down her back. Not a good chill either.

She looked at the food set in front of her. Stirring it around with a fork and motivated by only her boredom. She didn't notice Diana was missing from her feet, until she heard a shriek from her being kicked across the room.

"Cat!" An extremely old man screamed at everyone at the table, as if they all needed to know it. Serena ran to go see if her kitty was alright. She ran to her, but before she got there, Luna and Artemis right behind her. Diana was happily purring in someone else's arms. Dirty muscular arms that belonged to the blonde hair, blue eyed boy she had met.

He handed it over to her? She felt something rush up her spine. 'Serena?' His eyes almost popped out of his head as the thought came to him. 'How does he know my name?' But before she got her answer she turned away and ran up the steps to get away from everything.

The cold air from outside of her balcony had hit her like a moon cow. 'Oh my god.' She bent over as the breathe caught in her throat and her stomach collapsed in pain.

Diana licked her face as if she sensed Serena's pain, but it just became worse with every breathe she took. She had run up the stairs faster than she had in so long.

After a few coughs, thank god, the pain turned into just a dull annoyance. Calmed enough so she could get up and get to her chair. She sat gasping for moments on end.

"How does he know my name?" She asked herself as if it hurt to just think. She had to get the question out in the open. Maybe the wind would answer her questions or maybe the stars will form it. She looked up at them for a second. They remained stars nothing spelled out in them.

Soon she got tired of looking so she just closed her eyes and just focused on her breathing, but soon enough two deep blue eyes filled hers. Her heart slowing into a dream of complete bliss.

__

Serena, I love you. His voice made her feet begin to move. He was right in front of her, but soon he was just moving farther away. She was running through fog and her lungs begun to fill up with it, making her want to drop to the floor and give up, but she wheezed and wheezed as she wouldnt stop running.

Endymion?! She screamed. Endymion?! She screamed it over and over again. She looked for him, but now he was completely gone. he had disappeared into the fog and the never ending dark.

Soon her body gave into her lungs as she couldnt breathe anymore. Then the song played out of the dark mist. Her locket was not even on her chest and the music played softly. Soon she began to hum with it letting her eyes fall and droop closed. Soon she was laying on the ground and she felt like the fog was a blanket and she hugged it to her body as if it was solid. One tear falling down her cheek knowing that she had given up.

Endymion? She whispered one last time as she breathed through her nostrils the smell of roses. She smiled sadly and then she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder and a kiss on her fore head.

She opened her eyes and saw him. Im right here Serena. He smiled and she smiled back. She rested her head and snapped up when she felt it was a dream.

She snapped back into reality to feel a blanket tightly wrapped around her. She felt so sad that he wasnt there. She was about to fall asleep when she noticed her locket was opened.

It felt so real. She whispered to the wind, and sat awake until it was time for the next day to begin with the queen yelling at her for her rude exit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**"Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun." Serena rocked back and forth in her chair humming to herself the locket song, a song she hadn't heard in so long. A song that made tears drop down to the knitting. It soaked the material.**

**Soon she dropped the material in such frustration she was about to scream. "I know he was here. I felt him." She sat looking up at the stars. **

**"Tell me please what happened last night." She begged the gods with innocent tears in her eyes. Why do those in the control of fate have such dislike for her.**

**She looked back at the floor asking the ground below her feet and like the stars above they had no answers for her. Just dirt.**

**Then an odd idea popped into her head, well more like a need. She wanted to take a walk. She thought it would clear her mind or get her the answers that she needed. So she got up and held onto the arms of the chair to lift her up. Hoping that she wouldn't just topple over.**

**Her body seemed so old and crippled now. As if her broken heart had effected her body in some weird kind of revenge. But in some sad way Serena knew it was true. That something was acting their revenge on her. The revenge of an angry god maybe.**

**She thought of all this as she walked to the door with the cats behind her. The little pats of their feet quiet so they did not echo off the walls as she walked down the corridor that took her to the garden outside.**

**She tip toed her way until she had finally reached the cold dew covered grass. She took off her satin slippers and seeing that no one was around she put her dirty feet onto the beautiful green grass.**

**Her feet felt almost heavenly as she grasped the pieces of the grass between her toes. She began to walk across it as if they were clouds she was afraid she would fall through. Lightly so no one would hear her and come running to see who it was. But it looked like no one was even awake at the castle so soon took no caution in her steps.**

**She walked around the crumbling gray stones of the castle walls. Until, at the next corner, she saw a light shine around it. She kept walking and as if the wind had picked it up from a far away place she had heard her locket play.**

**Well she looked down and saw that it was not open, but that did not stop the song from tugging at her ears. It must of been one of the servants who was the poor soul to work so late? **

**She kept walking to find her answer until finally she spotted him.**

**Her feet stopped moving as she saw the servant boy. THE servant boy. The one that knew her name and the one that she couldn't take her eyes off of. Even now his blonde hair glowed in the simple light that came from the lantern he held in his hand.**

**"Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun." It was coming from him. He was scraping something onto the wall and humming the tune. She walked closer carried by her curious feet.**

**She stood right behind him when she first spoke. "Um, excuse me..." She startled him and he turned and dropped the lamp. Setting a small flame to the grass. She ran and stomped on it as if she was a lunatic as he just watched in awkward aww. The fire was already out when she realized she had stepped on it with her bare feet.**

**"Ouch!" She hollered out in pain as she hopped around like a complete maniac. Her foot burned and she tried to hold her foot in one hand but that would just make her topple over, but once she did get a hold of it and look at the wound she lost her balance and she did exactly that.**

**"Ahhh!" She screamed until she felt two arms wrap around her instead of feeling the hard ground hit her back. She felt safe and warm, but when she looked up to see him staring at her she started to blush uncontrollably.**

**She felt even more of the burn on her cheeks as he lifted her up so he could sit her on a chair. She took a deep breathe to compose herself as she was safely on the chair. She looked down at her foot and the skin on it was raw where it burned.**

**"We better get that bandaged." He proclaimed stating the obvious and pulled out a wrap of clothe from his pocket. When the pain slightly subsided she continued her thoughts of the locket.**

**"Um, where did you hear that song from?" He studied her wound a little more intently and started to wrap it. **

**"You know, the one you were humming?" She pushed. He finally decided to look up at her as if ready to answer her question. He wouldn't be able to ignore it for long.**

**"I used to live on the earth. I knew a man..." Her breathe caught as he stopped to look at her reaction. His eyes wide and confused.**

**"Something wrong?" She shook her head and he continued with wrapping the wound. "Well he told me of this beautiful girl he knew back at the moon, and he told me of her beauty. We became friends and he showed me the locket he wanted to give to her." She smiled sadly to herself. **

**She couldn't believe it. She now knew a man who knew of Endymion, and some how she became happy at the thought that he spoke of her to his other friends it made her feel special. Almost as if he wasn't completely gone.**

**"It played that song, and since I heard of his death I vowed to find that girl so that I would know such a beauty exists." He let her foot slowly drop onto the ground. He looked up to her and smiled. "Good night miss." He turned and walked away, but she stopped him.**

**"Did you ever find her?" She asked and he turned to her with a smile on his face. He nodded to her and walked back to her. His blonde hair now only slightly visible by the lantern's light.**

**"I found the locket anyway, but it seemed..." He stopped, a sad smile reflecting hers covered his face. "It seemed the beauty has died." He stood staring at her for moments and her eyes held the dew on the ground. She knew it was true, but how could a complete stranger possibly see that she had died inside? **

**"Do you need help to your room?" It took her a little while to nod to his question. When he lifted her up and placed her arm around his shoulders she noticed he only touched the clothed part of her skin. Avoiding her skin, and as she realized he had done this the whole time she became angry.**

**"I guess the servants told you of my curse." He didn't act surprised. Just nodded and kept walking with her into the castle and up the steps.**

**"I would appreciate if you told them to be out of the business." He laughed at that. As she hobbled along tired. **

**"Doesn't it seem funny to you that you complain that they are in your business, but you are the one that read their minds." He laughed and her eyes objected.**

**"I haven't read any of their minds on purpose it is their own clumsy fault not mine." She squealed right before a long heavy yawn. He yawned too and they both realized they were very tired.**

**They were in silence after that. Until he felt her body go limp and her snores echoed through the corridor. He smiled at her and lifted her up into his arms, and carried her up the last few steps. **

**She stirred as he touched her skin and she began to mutter in her sleep a name he hadn't been called for so long. "Endymion." She called out and he smiled.**

**"I'm here Serena." He whispered into her ear and she smiled in her dreamy she did so well. He took a moment to examine her and she had changed so much since he had been so close to her. He didn't even recognize her when they first bumped into each other.**

**Her skin was even paler, it looked un healthy. Her hair dragged on the floor as he walked and he had to walk funny just to avoid it. The brown of it causing no light like it used to.**

**He sighed knowing she had changed, but what could he do about it now. He wiped her bangs out of her face as she laid in her bed, but he could not bring himself to leave her. He traced her face with his fingers and placed his hand on her chest and traced the locket that lay there.**

**He popped it open and as expected the tune played across the moon, out the balcony, and into the night. He listened to it for moments before he held her hand and kissed her on the forehead. **

**"I love you Serena, and I'll never leave you, okay?" She nodded silently in her sleep and he walked out of her room. He stayed by the door way and listened to her startled out of her dream. "Endymion?" She called into the night and he left into the corridor back to the garden.**

**"Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.' He whispered slowly to himself as he went back to his work as a servant. His eyes wet, and his heart broken.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun." Endymion hummed to himself eating his pitiful servant's lunch. He sat at his table minding his own business. When he heard the most ditsy and empty laugh behind him, accompanied by another similar high pitched laugh. He rolled his eyes and tried to concentrate on his sandwich.

"Oh my god Milly, there he is. He is so handsome." He bit down hard on his sandwich, trying to ignore the two obnoxious girls that had entered into the room. "Too bad he is a mute." the one he believed to be named Tara said. And yes he lied, but he thought it would be easier if they all believed he was a mute and they thought of it themselves, after he had spent his first days not speaking to any of them, so it wasn't exactly lying.

"Tara, he is mute not def." Milly hit Tara up the head. "Oh, that hurt." She cried.

"Hey Darien." Tara said as she passed him. Okay maybe he lied about that. He wrote it on a piece of paper and gave it to the ugly guard at the gate. He couldn't exactly tell them that he was the prince of earth. They would of called him mad. Or worse, believed him and killed him.

He nodded in recognition as the other girls went on their way. Thank God. He needed some alone time to think. How was he going to get Serena out of this big mess.

Maybe he could use the Luna transformation pen and change himself into a prince and pick Serena for his bride. But how would he build the background he couldn't say he was a prince from some random place or planet. All of them had already been here. By the look of the new potential husbands the queen was quickly running out of options.

He huffed at his sandwich. "What am I going to do?" He whispered to his sandwich when no one else was around. Lucky for him he finished his sentence when Mariah walked in. She looked flushed as always. She did the hardest work, but she was quite pretty, he guessed. She was actually with the guard he spoke to at the gate, which when he saw them felt like a funny match. They were in love, but that didn't stop her from hitting on Endymion, or any other guy in the castle for that matter.

"Hello Darien." She said in her seductive voice. She put down the load of clothes she was carrying and walked over to him taking half his sandwich and took a huge bite. "Thanks." She laughed.

She sat up on the counter and ate the sandwich right in front of him. Her neck line, he couldn't help noticing, was quite low. As she laughed they began to bounce, and even with all the will in the world he couldn't help but watch like a vertical tennis game.

"Darien lets get straight to the point..." She turned on the counter so her bare feet were on his legs, glad that he had not taken a bite of his sandwich thinking he may have choked on it. "I know you want me." Ha ha funny he thought she was the one that hit on him ever since he arrived at the castle.

"Ever since the day you walked in you couldn't keep your eyes off me." 'Maybe because there was so much of you exposed.' he thought. She bent over to have her face right in front of his and his heart became all scared and thumped inside his chest as she pulled him to her and put a rough kiss on his lips, sloppy and tasting of ale.

He tried to pull away but he chair leaned back and with both of their weight it ended up falling over onto the floor. She smiled from on top of him ready to go into another kiss. "Oh God." He gasped and she jerked back. "You talked." She gasped, and he smiled hoping she would forget about it.

"Darien!" She yelled. "Mariah!" A husky voice yelled from the door way and she shot off of him. "Orc!" She gasped and there he was. The guard that could probably kill Endymion in one hit. Finding his woman on top of our poor hero.

"You touched my woman!" Orc took Endymion by the neck and held him up off the ground. "I'm going to kill you!" Endymion tried to pull his hands from his throat, but the man's grip was only comparable to that of a bears, and he was losing strength due to the fact that he couldn't BREATH!!

"Orc, Smooky, don't do this it's not his fault he can't keep his hands off of me. He just has good taste like you." She pulled on his arm. 'I'm doomed.' Endymion knew he was going to die, but he was surprised that he was dropped to the ground his lungs still struggling to fill with air, him trying his best to catch the breathe he oh so missed for the past few seconds.

He panted for a while. "Don't let me catch you with my woman again!" Orc stormed out and Mariah followed after him and Endymion laid on the ground trying to catch his breathe from his near death experience.

He was just sitting up when two more servants walked in. Both guys. "Well tonight is the night." They didn't see him behind the counter and he was curious about their conversation so he kept it that way. "The princess is finally getting proposed to." 'Oh god.'

"Yeah I never thought that day would come, what dope would marry her anyway?" Endymion slid against the counter to help him with stand the conversation. She was getting married soon, and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt his heart slowly plummeting to the bottom of his stomach. "Well I hear it's our prince. I hear Diamond had his eye on her since they were born." Endymion spent the first few seconds not believing what the man had said, but after that he couldn't believe that he ahd not seen this coming.

He felt his limbs become numb and his stomach begin to turn, which made it hard to stand but some how he managed glad to find no one there. The slam of his fists against the counter echoed through the crimson kitchen startling someone in the next room to drop a dish. He looked around and saw bows running across the stone walls, bloody and gaudy, trying to hide the cold stone behind it. This meant the queen was expecting company.

His mind was in such a twist that he felt the pain in his toes and then he felt a clarity. He had to get her out of here. It had been a month since he had entered the castle and he had his body shrank from the lack of light and hope. He could only imagine…

These thoughts made his feet work, virtually, by themselves. Every step he took was forgotten and it seemed he got to the staircase leading to her room much quicker then he had planned. This fact startled him so he stayed in the same place for a moment to calm himself down so he would not act stupid and get himself caught.

As soon as he began again he felt himself slow down and finally the twitch in his fingers stopped, and the feeling in his limbs had returned…for the most part.

And as he continued his trek up the stairs he quickly realized that this had already been a mistake. He had already gotten two feet away from the queen's door. His heart began to pound again as her screech of a voice reached his ears. He felt almost in need of protection for his ears but as soon as he heard Serena's name in her one way conversation he knew that he had to hear the rest.

She began to speak of the crystal and he knew that, that was the reason that Serena was still alive. Serena refused to give up the crystal. If his heart wasn't swallowing his throat he would be able to laugh at this thought.

And then like he had feared his mistakes continued out of his need to reach Serena. For he had took a step on the stairway giving away a pound of his foot on the step.

The voice was silenced and he knew it was not because she was done talking. He quickly found himself a suit of armor to hide behind and did so. The cobwebs almost suffocated him but he stood completely still, not even letting his chest rise when he let in a breathe. Soon he heard the steps of the queen come and go, and as soon as he felt that it was safe, he stepped out, and began to walk in the opposite direction. He knew now that saving Serena was not a rash action, but something that was going to take immense planning.

So he decided he would avoid all clean up duty and begin to plan their escape, as the rest of the servants cooked dinner for the event that he so wished to avoid, for him and Serena both.

Unfortunately Endymion only began to plan their escape when it was time to begin the feast, and there was no way to avoid that. So he decided to dedicate half of his brain on serving and the rest of it saving Serena from this world.

When the night began it seemed the typical feast that the queen had every night, except Serena was made to come early and sit at the head of the table on the opposite side of the queen and right next to Diamond.

"Wine?" he asked them both, aiming his eyes at Serena's hoping she would receive some kind of comfort from his gesture. But she would not meet his gaze, and simply shook her head as Diamond gave him his cup.

Endymion wondered if Serena even knew what tonight meant. She seemed a little tense, but of course she was the head at forty person table, who would not be shy.

It was sad to think of the days Serena used to laugh in conversation when she was at the table. And now she just sat there like some piece of wax fruit.

It was not even half way through the night when the queen stood awaiting to make a toast. With all the people in the room it took five giant, annoying coughs for all of her audience to be giving her attention. She began with a big smile, that made most dogs growl, and then she began to speak.

"Serena has been a gracious guest for a long time now, I have treated her like my own daughter…" Endymion was laughing in his mind, and then he noticed that it had escaped his head and leapt into reality, but when he looked up, he noticed they were looking at Serena. She was laughing.

Endymion's eyes widened trying to see both the queen and Serena at the same time. The queen began to laugh along. "Inside joke…" and this set the whole room laughing, which then caused Serena's laughing to seize.

Then the queen continued. "I like a dutiful mother have been trying to find her a husband and it has been an…interesting task…" As she continued Endymion felt his nails rip into his skin as his fists grew tighter and tighter.

"But now I have seen that her husband has laid underneath my nose…" 'More like her thumb,' Endymion thought. "And now I have realized that my son Diamond is the perfect husband for Serena, and they have both agreed to marry!" This announcement sent the room into a polite roar until it was time to return to their meal. But as the people watched the food on their plates Endymion watched the frail wife to be run from the room. Hoping not to be noticed. She wasn't.

He wished for the same luck as he slowly followed after her. Trying to pretend like he was aiming for the table and mistakenly taking a wrong turn onto the stairs. He began his ascent slowly at first and then he began to jog up the steps knowing that no one would be there. He had lost his caution until he reached the hall that her room was found on.

He went up to hear and there she lay face down on her bed. The sound of muffled cries filling the room. He stood there at the doorway watching her back heave up and down from the pain. Then as she began to turn on her back he quickly jerked to the side so he would not be seen. Her cries became less and less frequent and finally she fell silent. He looked into the room and she fallen into sleep and remembering how heavy a sleeper she was he felt no need to be cautious. He almost ran to her, anxious to feel her skin under his hand. He laid next to her and she stirred slightly. He ran his fingers through her hair and in some miracle he saw a glimmer in her locks return. His heart jumped. This was the image of hope.

She began to groan. He put his lips next to her ears. "It will be okay Serena, I'm going to save you." The smile on Serena's face appeared for just a second and then she began to cry in her sleep. He put his lips on her forehead and let them trace down her nose not letting his lips leave her skin. But right before reaching her lips he left her skin. Not wanting to wake her.

He became worried when her body moved toward him, but she was still asleep and he knew that it would be long before he could be here for again. And they both needed each other, so he reached for her gloved hand and removed that kept her from reading his thoughts, and interlocked his hand with hers. "Endymion…" Her voice was sad in the way that it seemed to reach for her old high bubbly tone. "I will never leave you Serena, I am right here." He wanted so bad to prove this to her. He wanted to wake her and let her see that he was there. He longed to kiss her, to hold her…but her life was in danger and she would become unpredictable, and may he say stupid if she knew he was with her.

He left her with the three words he spoke to her every night, with or with out her presence., and quickly left, knowing she would soon wake up in dread of not seeing him there in the real world. Still it broke his heart not to pick her up and just keep running.

But he knew he could not, it would be impossible so he would wait for her sake.

So instead he stood there watching her in the dark. She repeated his name over and over, but one time stuck for it was not her that had said it. Instead this voice gave him a sick feeling in his stomach.

He turned to see the demon of his current situation. "Prince Endymion, I presume?" The queen stretched skin smiled back at him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning Endymion felt the effects of a night not utilized for sleep but for the most painful thoughts. The queen confronted with many things the night before. How she knew all along who he was…though he thought that was a lie used to scare him. Actually all of the things she had said last was complete crap, but one and only one sentence had played in his head that whole night.

"If you touch her again, I will kill her."

This sentence made his muscles twitch with pain and confusion. But at the same time this thought gave him the motivation to stand from his bed and walk to where he had been instructed to get ready.

In some cruel joke the queen had him assigned to be Serena's personal servant. "Yes ma'am" and "No ma'am " were the only words that could cross his lips when he was in front of her. He thought for a few moments that she was bluffing about watching him every moment, but the next moment he realized that it wouldn't matter if she was because he couldn't take the chance.

So he went through the most embarrassing morning. Including four blushing girls, one not so blushing old woman, who gave him a bath. Then he ended it with the most grotesque outfit he had seen. The yellow ruffles could have filled a small room.

He was told that she was in the garden playing with her cats. The word cats was spoken with disdain as if they were dirty rats, and that's when he realized that if he had to take on the queen he would have to take on all of her subjects. Including the servants. Everyone in the castle was under her thumb, and now that he saw himself in the mirror he realized he was under her thumb as well. He became sick at the idea, but the idea of the one he loves being trapped here, or killed was so much worse.

But the costume had gone too far so he quickly decided to make a detour into his room and change into something more fitting for himself.

Once he was done he exited into the candle lit garden. At the first sight of her he thought it was a dream. She was smiling and throwing a tiny ball for the kitten Diana to catch. As Artemis and Luna sat at her feet and watched in wonder at a sight they seemed to have never seen.

Then when Serena set her eyes on Endymion she lit up even more. She ran to him and tried to hand him the ball to throw for Diana, but he jerked away. Watching to see if her hands were covered. They were. But this action had already been seen by Serena.

She gave him an awkward look, and said, "I have my gloves on, you don't need to worry." By her voice he had clearly offended her. But all he could say was "Yes madam." She returned to her game with Diana but this time she threw it she had a little of her glow. With some resistance.

"I will not allow you to mess with my spirit." He had been there two seconds and he had already ruined her first good day in years.

Instead of doing anything to worsen it he sat down in the chair near her. He continued to watch her, and even though she had fallen she still played, something she hadn't done in a long while. She turned to look at him again and she saw the confused look on his face.

"Why are you sitting here? Don't you have more wall patching to do?" "I have been assigned to be your majesty's personal servant." She laughed a little, and stated, waving her arms around. "I'm sorry sir, but I see no Majesty, just little old me." When she did this he noticed that her arms flowed more, not fighting so much to move.

She then decided to address his confused look. "You're wondering why I am so happy today, huh?" He looked away for fear of a smile coming upon his face, giving away his stoney exterior. "Your majesty has the right to be as happy as she wishes to be." His response was meant to shoot her down, but instead, maybe out of spite, she continued.

"I had a dream last night, about someone I had lost a long time ago, but when I woke up my glove was gone." She smiled to the back of his head, for he was still focusing on Diana who was still playing with the tiny .

"I don't understand Madam." He stated again trying to keep his cool, all the while trying to figure out how to throw her off. If she found out now everything would be ruined. He had to stall her realization not matter what it took.

"You must have worked your glove off during your dream, that is all." He felt his back almost break when he felt her gaze on him and he could not look back at her, he wouldn't let himself. The silence afterward was broken by her soft foot steps across the lawn. They were quick and painful for him to hear.

To protect her he had to send her back into a state that he had seen her in too much. So he quickly ran after to see if anything could be remedied. And his plan quickly developed as he ran up the stairs. He slowed down when he heard her steps, slow and weak. He actually stopped for a few moments so she could make it to her room.

When he could no longer hear her footsteps he began to walk again and soon he found himself at her doorway. She laid on her bed, still and weak as she was when he first saw her in the hallway of the castle.

She said nothing when he entered, and said nothing when he pulled her chair next to her bad and laid the book of Greek myths onto his lap and opened to the first myth, and began to read. But as soon as he had flipped to the story she had said to be her favorite in one of their pigeon conversations.

She sat up quickly looking him up and down, him not letting his eyes leave the book until he heard her glove begin to slide off.

This was his plan all along. He would give her this one piece of a secret to keep her going until he could tell her the rest. He only hoped this would satisfy her and she wouldn't dig any deeper.

He looked at her said, "Allow me." He reached for elbow length glove and peeled it slowly so he could have time to focus only on the letters and nothing else. But he knew he could not hold it too long.

As soon as the glove was off he felt her conscious hand with his for the first time in over a month. It felt weird to have her in his head searching, but he had to break it quickly so she would not dig any deeper. But he couldn't let go so when someone called for her for dinner, he felt relieved.

"You have to go, madam." Her eyes widened and she parted and left quickly afraid that she wouldn't be able to leave if she would keep contact with him. Her ability to run was a good sign, and his heart rose to be able to give this to her.

So he followed her to dinner and stayed behind her at dinner, watching her body turn and her hand wring the napkin in her hands. Something surprising had fallen into the napkin. Her tears had soaked through the cloth.

She was crying!

Why had she cried? How could he make things worse?

"What is wrong, my love?" Diamond seemed to give emphasis to the last two words. And when he reached for Serena's hand she jerked so hard, they both thought she might fall over. But instead she sat still, and out of the corner of her mouth she spoke, "I am not your love, and will never be. Understand now, the only reason I will marry you is because I have no other choice. If I had any hope that the man I DO love was alive, I would run away from here. But since he is…" She stopped consumed by pain, or at least that is what Endymion saw. He imagined not even Diamond could see how weak she was. She sat tall and clenched her fists, but she felt herself falling. So she quickly excused herself back to her room, and Endymion quickly followed. But before he go too far Diamond stopped him.

"You're dead remember." Three words that crossed Diamond's lips, that Endymion was sure gave him pleasure to say. But when he looked into Diamond's eyes he saw this feeling of inferiority. "Now leave me and my wife alone."

So he would not cause a scene, Endymion waiting moments after Diamond disappeared before following up the stairs. He stayed behind the sound of his footsteps until they arrived at the opening to Serena's room.

Endymion again stood outside the doorway waiting for a good time to enter.

Serena stood there shaking, cold, and broken she stood there watching the earth. "Why do you wish to stare at something so pitiful?" She shrunk at Diamond's voice, in some hopeless attempt to hide from that gaze of his.

Then he stood next to her. "It falls apart as we grow stronger, and it is all for you." She quickly turned from him, running back into her room. Hoping maybe that he would give up.

"What can I do to make you more comfortable, I have tried…" "I will never be happy here." She spoke and he finally shrunk back. He felt speechless. Almost ready to give up. And then in one last attempt he pulled her toward him and landed his lips on hers. He didn't feel her struggle at all so he felt his heart rise.

But her lack of a fight was simply due to her weakness and pain. His lips made her cry and fall deeper into this shell of a body and she just curled into the corner of her mind.

When he released her, she felt her body numb over and as soon as he was satisfied and left, she fell to the ground. Too weak to cry. When she heard foot steps enter her room, only moments later. She felt the need to stand up, but her body would not comply. Diamond would have to see her like this.

But surprisingly she didn't feel the cold arms belonging to Diamond, but the two arms that belonged to her friend.

Endymion lifted her from the ground and laid her upon the bed. He sat next to her and waited for her to reply to his presence. She put her gloved hand on his. "If it weren't for you…" she couldn't continue because she began to cry. When he reached over to comfort her she rolled away from him and lifted herself off the bed. She then walked over to the mirror and studied herself.

"I will be queen of this hole, and I can't escape." She stood there, straightened by pain, and he walked over to her. "Why don't you leave?" "I have no where to go, I have no one left…" She seemed to be about to fall, but with a sudden gust of strength she took the top of the mirror and slammed it to the ground with a great crash.

The sound seemed to echo through the castle and Endymion couldn't help but to jump back from the crash sight, but she was not shaken. "He's gone…" She fell to her knees and Endymion followed. He wasn't able to cause such pain anymore. "I'm here," he spoke and she looked at him confused. "I'm here," he repeated. She smiled, "I know but ..."

"No you don't understand!" His shouting seemed to awaken her from some daze. "What do you mean?" she asked and before he could fight himself he began to peel off her glove, and reached for her bare hand, but before he could a sound like an army came from the doorway.

"You are under arrest!" Endymion was roughly pulled by his arms, and the feeling of cold shackles around his wrists made him fight against the ten guards that surrounded him. But every thing was futile. They had him secured in every way. But that didn't keep Serena from fighting back. "What are you doing to him? Let him go this instant!" She showed more strength in these few moments than she had used in the time of being at the castle.

"It's going to be okay Serena," Endymion tried to reassure her, trying to stop her from doing something stupid.

"Tell me what are you doing?" His voice did not work, instead she kept fighting.

"I'm sorry your majesty, but this man has been caught conspiring to assasinate you." "What?!" Endymions and Serena both yelled. To make his point the guard pulled a knife from Endymion's back, pretending that it had been there the whole time.

He showed it to Serena and her eyes grew wide at the sight of it. "No…" she shook her head, she didn't want to believe it, but he saw in her face that she felt she had lost another person in her life. "Please Serena they're lying, I would never…" Before he could finish they dragged him off, away from her room. But he continued to yell her name, "Serena!" he struggled against the guards to let him go, so instead of dealing with him any longer they hit him over the head. His vision faded quickly and he dove into a deep sleep.

When the scene was over Serena felt herself begin to faint, but before she could her eyes fell upon an object she hadn't seen in a long time. It was a luna transformation pen, accompanied by a note. Written in his hand writing.

After she read the note she knew what she had to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When Endymion woke up he found himself in a dank little room that he could only imagine was a dungeon. It was so dark that he couldn't see in front of his nose. . "You didn't do as I asked."

The queen's voice was enough to make his head explode in anger. His fists were balled up so tight it felt like they were replaced by boulders. He felt he could do anything out of his rage. He tried to stand only to see that his waist had been chained to the wall. He was only allowed a few feet to move in.

"You didn't do as I asked." she repeated it, waiting for a response. But he refused to give her any satisfaction, so he remained silent. Instead thinking how he could escape these chains. He moved his arms and he felt the shackles around his wrists and then his ankles. He was not to move at all.

"You know I must kill her now." This statement fell upon his ears like an avalanche and he felt his body shrivel up. Now he couldn't speak out of pain. "I mean we had an agreement and if I don't hold up my end of the bargain I'd be…" "You won't touch her," he interrupted.

"Oh and what do you plan to do about it, hmm?" He said nothing for he had no answer. "Think of me badly until you die in that same position. Face it, it's time to give up on all of this and just believe that it wasn't meant to be. Happens all the time." Her slight gave him time to think of the one thing that would protect Serena.

"You want the crystal…" "And I will have it. Once she is my daughter the crystal will be passed to the eldest in her family, and that will be me." He shook his head. "The crystal is smarter than that." She laughed at this. "It's a rock." "That would make it smarter than you." He laughed at her, and this seemed to offend, as she got up and began to walk away.

"It's over" she spoke before leaving the room. Leaving him in the silence of no answers and so many questions.

The queen spoke to her ferret as she did every night. Celebrating her victory, and as she did she didn't notice the person slowly moving behind her. She continued to rant to her precious about how she felt like things "were working out," and how "by the end of the lunar cycle she will have all the power."

When she realized how quiet the ferret on her shoulder when she knew it was rare for her ferret to shut his mouth. She turned to see her reflection and she had began to fix her hair before she realized that what she was looking at was not her mirror. By the time she laid on the floor, unconscious due to a blunt force to her head.

The silence in the cell had gone for hours before it was interrupted by what seemed to be an abusive use of a door, it slammed to the wall with such a noise that one might think that the moon had cracked. But the footsteps that came after were as quick and light as if a dove had landed on the water for only a second and rose up again and by the time the bird had flown away there stood the horrible almost painful sight of the queen in front of him. "We have to go." The statement was almost shocking but quickly followed by the feeling of a twist in his stomach, like his small intestine had felt this lightness as if he heard something familiar and heartfelt, while his large intestine shrieked in fear of what was going to come next from this image.

"IT's me," and soon the feeling of lightness was replaced with a voice of fear but a different kind than the one that the queen had invoked. "Serena," the shakiness of his voice alarmed him, but she stood unshaken in the image and dress of someone who had tortured him. She revealed a pen and smiled, and reached into giant pockets pulling out a ring of keys. She had marked the key with a red ribbon. The door was opened in seconds, seconds Endymion spent standing in awe.

Come on," she spoke asking for his hand, her hand was gloved, he was sad to have to notice that. "Come on," these words were more demanding and he couldn't help but rise to the occasion and lay his hand in hers, which she then to his hands and cuffed them. She smiled sweetly and said, "So they'll believe me when I sneak you out." That action was quickly followed by her grabbing him and fleeing up the stairs, but he quickly stopped her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, and with her solemn look that she returned, she was thinking that he wasn't willing to go with her. "I am going to be with you , I'm not leaving you Serena." She looked at him for a second of confusion as if she had heard these words before but now that it came from Darien's lips it sounded as if a tree had spoke them. "I just want to know that you are ready, now get stern." She perked at this advice and quickly changed to her queen face that almost made him shake. "Good," he commented almost in pain. He willingly followed her and he soon saw light that blinded his eyes, he thought it would shake her too, but like a true professional she simply gave a snarl disguised in a smile, something that gave both of them a free ticket to the outside garden where they had first spoken to each other, he smiled thinking of her foot.

She did not take the luxury, as soon as they hit the edge of the garden she began to run towards nothing, and she seemed to enjoy that because it was NOT the walls of the castle. "We're free Darien," she had her own bubbly voice which means that she had turned the pen off and allowed herself to become hopeful for the first time in years. Her hair was in bundles at the top of her head, many would thing this was a sign of not wanting to trip on her hair, but to him it was a sign of his beloved returning. All they had to do was escape.

It was long before he felt her begin to hesitate like she no longer knew where she was going. He felt her tense up and turn and she seemed to lose her step and fall over a branch and continued to perk right up, and she turned to him and said " This way."

She continued and then she felt her heart rise as the light from the nearest village rise through the trees, she looked to smile at her friend, but he was gone. "Darien", she called, and then she cried again seeing that he was nowhere to be found. She found herself looking back at the light thinking of how she was free and maybe her friend would find her, maybe he had just tripped and would soon be following her to the freedom the village promised. But the feeling she had when thinking about this man's side, this man she only knew for months felt like she was counting on him for salvation. This feeling pulled her slowly back into the woods away from her promised freedom. With every step the light got further away, and soon her body was in full panic and she bean to run screaming out for her friend soon to meet the painful strike of shadowed stranger which was followed by a painful slumber.

When she awoke she thought she was waking to a dream, because the song of her locket spilled into the darkness, and with one more look she saw the light from her locket illuminating what seemed to be a bowed head adorned with a black mop of hair. Her head could not yet understand what was going on when she saw the two shadowed figures behind the man who bowed in front of her. "Who… what…" she whispered and it was only answered by what sounded like a struggled groan as if the man in front was trying to get away. Which was quickly followed by a strike to the captured head.

When she finally began to comprehend what was happening Serena saw a head of silver hair emerge from one of the shadows. It was Diamond and that meant the person next to them was that horrible creature she called a mother. But who was the man behind the hair, and with out an inkling of who it could be something grew in her, and she no idea what it meant.

"I see that you decided to run away," it had spoken to her and with it's voice it felt like Serena's skin began to peel, but still her eyes never moved from the dark mop. "It's too bad because if you had decided to leave your friend behind I would have just let you go, but you see…" "Liar" the word was definable but since it came from the unknown head Serena had no idea what it meant. The queen just continued, "The person who you try to steal from me, my servant, is someone of some importance to me…" this statement reminded Serena of the man she was really looking for. "Where is Darien?" Serena said this and a smile stretched across the Queen's face and Serena felt her body break in two. She coughed out this pain in a hack, and a tear slipped through to the ground.

"You don't have to cry Serena…" Diamond said and the Queen turned to him and scowled as if he was stealing her fire. "He's right Serena, you shouldn't be weeping for your friend…he is closer than you think." A laugh that was as coarse as fingernails on chalk board echoed through Serena's head. "I must say that it was quite a cruel joke your friend played on you, I mean he was your only friend and he lied to you…" "What are you talking abo…" At that the man's head was raised against his will, and above his pained neck, and his pained face, was the most painful helpless look in the most familiar blue eyes. When Serena could breathe again and she looked at the whole picture of his face and could get past how much pain she was in from the look on this man's face, she felt her heart race.

"I think you should be sure…" The queen said before having one of her guards take Serena by the arm, in such force that caused her to cry out, making the man across from writhe in the hands of his captor. They pushed her naked hand towards this man's face and she fought because it couldn't be true and would disappear when she touched it, but when she touched his skin… The words seemed to seep into her hand and flow out of this man's mouth at the same time, they vibrated in her skin, and all she could think was, "Serena, I'm sorry."

Chapter 9

During her quick stint as a sleeping beauty she recalled the night she lost, or had thought she lost everything and this night seemed to end with her watching her beloved fall. But as this new information entered into her mind the events of that night became blurred and dark. When she finally allowed herself to come to, she felt so different but her surroundings were the same. "I need to stop being unconscious," she spoke out not realizing how heavy the situation had remained. All eyes were on her and the man she loved struggled to break apart from his captors, the man she thought was dead was in front of her and she could not touch him.

"I'm so sorry Serena, I meant to tell you." his voice was dreamlike to Serena, probably due to her unconscious state being the only place she had heard it for so long. She looked up to him and his eyes were hard to see in such struggle, but she was looking into them and that gave her such a mixed feeling, that her body hurt until she pulled herself away from his sight. "Serena, listen to me you cannot give them the crys…" He was interrupted by the Queen's men pulling him away. "Serena!" he hollered and when she felt he was gone Serena stared straight into the face of the queen. "Don't worry sweetheart, you won't have to see him again, he is just a ghost in the wind, we will take care of you." The queen lifted her to her feet, trying to comfort Serena at arm's length.

Serena kept her eyes to the ground as the queen led her to the castle and soon to Serena's room at the top of the tower. The queen ushered her into to her room, and since Serena no longer had a pushing force to motivate her body she just stood there on her side of the door. She heard the sound of a padlock on her door. The queen advised someone to not let her out until tomorrow, because it was the day she would be wed to the prince and she had to be ready for it. "I don't want that little brat to run off again with our dungeon's resident prince."

When the queen was gone Serena felt her joints give way under the pressure of the tomorrow that was to come. "He's alive," and with that said she began to sob for what she had so close to her, but never saw, why couldn't she see it? In between her sobs her cat Luna walked up to her and sat with her other cat comrades in toe. Serena continued to cry until finally she looked up to see what was hidden underneath her Luna's paw. It was one of the Luna Paw's. "I can't keep pulling these out of my butt Serena, so please promise to take care of this one" The voice seemed to come from close to the ground. It was the voice of the cat's namesake.

"Luna?" Serena looked around for the origin of the voice but she could not find a sane explanation, but of course her world seemed to be turned upside down permanently since that horrific night. "Down here Serena", no longer could Serena ignore the fact that the voice was coming from her cat. "Luna?" she asked the cat and she felt herself go insane as she said it, asking her cat to respond.

"Serena it's time to get out of here," the cat's mouth moved to the words but it still felt as if she was asleep. "Serena are you listening?" "How are you…" "Your mother she turned us into cats, for some reason, so we could escape and have more of a chance of protecting you, and until she returns…" "Is she still alive?" Luna's face shook, and Serena's heart dropped, "We don't know but that is not what you have to focus on, we have to get you and Endymion…" Serena began to weep at the mention of his name.

"Serena you have to focus," Artemis's voice rose to the top of Serena's mind and she looked up to see him stare into her, with his worrisome eyes. She shook her head and wiped her eyes hoping that this would allow her to do as her cat had said. She then sat there focusing on both of her guardians' faces. "Now I think it would be a good idea to leave tonight with us, we know a tunnel…" "What about Endymion?" Serena interrupted Luna in the middle of her idea and the cat dropped her head, and continued with out looking back at Serena, "I think it would be best if we left him here for now." Serena stood and walked over to her window hoping that all the words would just blow away, but the cats followed her. "It is just temporary Serena, you have to think about yourself for right now and the safety of the crystal." Serena ignored and began to think of how she could get back to him and how could curl up under his arms…."Serena!" But Serena refused to snap out of it her train of thought but when she finally arrived to her plan she gave the cat's her full attention but not until after she made herself clear.

"Sorry Luna I am not leaving him behind, when he died I…" her throat caught on the pain of remembering the emptiness she had been living only a few moments ago. With out continuing she fell into her rocking chair. "I don't even have that stupid crystal anyway."

The cats looked at each other as their only chance of salvation tried her best to fall asleep while planning her escape with the man she thought she had lost so long ago. She thumbed her locket and for the first time, the melody clear in her head, she sang the song with the hope of the next growing inside her heart.

The next morning came after what seemed like a year of planning and anticipation, and Serena woke tired from the night before, but energized by the hope of seeing Him today. She looked herself in the mirror and the smile that reflected in the mirror shocked her, and she quickly wiped it away as not to alarm the queen to her plan, but as a secret message to herself she placed her hair in her usual buns hoping that the queen wouldn't know what it meant. But she knew it meant that she was ready for war.

It was only an hour of disapproving looks from her cats before the queen returned to Serena's room to retrieve her for a dress fitting. Serena went willingly but did not responded to anything the queen hoping that the royal monster would think nothing had changed and that she had just given, all the while gripped her luna pen in one hand and her locket hidden around her chest.

When walking into the room Serena squinted to take the atrocity in that the queen called a dress. It was about ten feet in diameter and had twenty bows on it from what Serena could see and she could count five different materials. It was a nightmare.

The dress took five people to lift over Serena's head and when the dress fell on her it almost caused her frail frame to collapse but it just caused her to grip the pen harder knowing in a few moments she would be free to roam.

The queen then spent the next few moments ordering her them to add more bows with needles that seemed to penetrate all five feet of fabric and pierce Serena's skin. She quickly got tired of this but she knew it was not time, she would watch the queen and wait for her to turn her back and she would know, and that time came soon enough because someone had come to the door asking for arrangements on the flowers. With this cue Serena gripped tightly onto the pen and suddenly the room was filled with a blinding light and when the light fell away the dress was empty. The queen took only a minute to realize, but this was the time it took for Serena to be halfway down the hall and following the trail to his cell.

Her tiny mouse body dragged the locket a mile before reaching the door to the dungeon, she climbed the door and slipped into the bars. She quickly ran down the cold stairs and across the floor, only able to see his feet she got closer and closer and walked up close to his thigh. He didn't even notice the tiny mouse before she quickly transformed back into her own skin.

His eyes took a second to adjust to the vision he saw in front of him. She was curled up with her form bare except for except for the locket that lay between her breasts. "Serena" he breathed into the air and she looked over to him "Hi," she spoke as if they had never stepped onto the dark moon that cursed them. She stood tired but strong as she stretched back into her human form, not realizing how naked she was. He was silent, not seeing her this bare before. "God it's col…" she spoke and in the middle of the statement she noticed her lack of clothing and before she freaked out Endymion wrapped her in one of his many coats. She curled into it like a new skin. "Thank you." they both stood there with out saying anything for what seemed only a second before she rushed into his arms.

Where there should have been no more tears it seemed like Serena's face became flooded with them. Endymion tried his best to leave the crying to the angel wrapped in his embrace but he could not hold back the silent tears that streamed down his face and into her hair. The words were hard to bring but since one of them had to say something Endymion decided to be the breaker of the silence. "You should have left with out me." As soon as the sentence had left his lips she pulled out of his embrace and turned away so he would not see her tears. "You should have told me who you were." her voice was cold, she had tried to turn her emotions off and that made him regret opening with such an observation. He moved closer to her hoping to comfort her, but she flinched away. "I was hoping that if you didn't know me you would have left me behind and I would be able to slip away, I just wanted you to get out…" She turned to him on that note, and looked straight into the eyes she never thought she'd see again. "I never thought I'd see you again," she reached for his hand, stunned by her sudden strength he gave it to her silently, "I never thought I would touch you." She came closer to him and they both felt each other and they both took a breathe so they could swallow this moment with out breaking down. "I never thought I'd kiss you again," this sentence was followed by silence and both of their lips meeting in the middle of this dingy cell, but all of a sudden that meant nothing. All there was each other and moments passed when the need to breathe was ignored, they only needed each other.

When the kiss was broken Serena laid her head onto Endymion's chest and folded herself into his arms.

"It was so hard to see you every day and never tell you," as he said this Serena felt his thoughts spill out and it gave her this shield of certainty. She knew what she had to do. Until that moment she promised herself this moment, and she would never forget this feeling. "I love you Serena," she heard his voice and his confidence rose her heart to a height she had forgotten about over the years she had been there. "I will always love you Endymion." When she said this he gave her a look of confusion, "What do you mean Serena?" She gave him a sad smile asking him to support her, but he refused to understand what she was talking about. "Serena, what…" he began to shake his head. "No, you're not thinking…" "I see no other way, she'll kill you if I leave and I just cannot go through that again." He backed away from her, not allowing himself to believe her.

"Please forgive me, but I have to go through with this wedding." He shook his head, and grabbed at her shoulders and held her so she had no choice but to understand him. "You cannot do this Serena you have to get out, you cannot stay here, they're going to kill you, once they get that crystal…" "Will you stop talking about that stupid crystal, I have no idea why people think I have it!"

He looked at her confused, but before he could respond the sound of the door opening clashed through the dungeon, and the queen ran down to the doors of the dungeon. Serena realized what had happened before Endymion could so she caught him off guard when she grabbed him and placed what she thought to be their last kiss. "I love you," she whispered before being led out of the cell by one of the queen's guards. While he watched her leave, he remembers screaming everything he could think of to dissuade her from going through with this. But in the end he was left in silence when the door closed and she was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He had no idea how much time had passed, but when Endymion began to think that the wedding would soon begin, he started to go insane. His skin crawled and he felt helpless locked in while Serena was being thrown to the wolves. His stomach turned to the point of sickness. It was safe to say that he was too caught up in his thoughts that he was not aware of the woman who had entered the room.

The figure was cloaked in a robe that covered her face, and when she called to the prisoner he was thrown because she had blended into the shadows. "Endymion, what are you doing just sitting here?" Endymion stood trying to get another look at the stranger. "Who are you?" he asked the shadow, and instead of answering the soft voice continued. "This is not where you should be." to make a point Endymion began to shake the bars in front of him but instead of resistance he felt the door gave way. "He looked at the open space. He looked back at his prison. "How did you…" but when he looked back the figure was gone replaced by a sword…a familiar sword…his sword.

When he lifted the weapon it felt like a glove, but instead of asking questions about this figure he began to run up the stairs towards the wedding.

The horns blared across the terrace, adorned by giant lilies, the event was just a giant white glob to Serena's eyes and it burned her retinas every time she opened her yes, which was a horrible addition to the full body pain that had overcome her as soon as the quartet had begun here comes the bride. Serena felt her feet become blocks of stone halfway through the march, and after the two hours it took to get to the alter she stood there as still and unemotional as a statue, but the storm raged inside of her. The words were said and the people watched but she kept her eyes focused on the night beyond the terrace, and the same question came to her head over and over again. "How am I going to survive here?" and the same face popped into her mind and his blue eyes never left her mind.

Suddenly the world became silent, and when she looked around she found they had been waiting for her to say those two words, but when she tried to reach for those words her voice caught every time,. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the queen was staring at her and instead of hiding her disdain she let it out for all to see. As her heart began to pound she tried to remember why she was doing this, but she could only think of how safe she felt in Endymion's arms.

"If you don't say yes, he won't survive the night," Diamond's was cold and instead of convincing her, it just twisted her insides because it seemed that two choices she had now had almost become as equally heart breaking, almost. "I…I…" "Don't do it!" The voice hit her like a brick she jerked her head down to the other end of the aisle and there Endymion stood sword in hand. She thought that he would die she felt herself jerk towards him hoping to protect him but Diamond held her back.

"I would have interrupted you when he said 'Anyone think they shouldn't get married' but I think I was late." Endymion's voice echoed through the silent crowd, but the spectacle was not over. "don't worry they skipped it," the voice came from above on a balcony that hung over the crowd where nine cloaked figured revealed themselves to be the nine planetary soldiers. The sight of Serena's friends made her heart fly and her head spin, this feeling propelled her forward, escaping Diamond's grasp, but before she could get ten feet away she was swept away in a giant cloud of crimson fabric and taken away by a strong body she couldn't recognize.

In the few seconds that the battle started Serena seemed to disappear into the crowd, but with luck and focus Endymion caught her giant white dress running into a hallway on the far right of the terrace. "Follow her, we've got this," Sailor Mercury assured him and he ran off dodging all the guards that came at him until he finally reached the hallway he had seen Serena run into.

The hallway was dark and the twists in it made him feel as if he were in a dream. "Serena!" he called to her hoping to hear her voice call back, but the silence welcomed him into even darker hallways. After ten minutes he began to hear light footsteps and then the sound of someone being dragged. It must have been Serena slowing her down. He took a moment hoping she could be strong enough and then continued on his way navigating through every tightening tunnels underneath the castle.

The footsteps become louder until finally He heard them stop , and he could see a light pouring out of a doorway near by. He crept up to it and looked in. There stood Serena held back by the queen. Serena's face pleaded with him, he stepped in further demanding the queen to let her go. He raised his sword to her, but before he could reach her, Serena screamed, "Behind you!" Diamond swung at him with his sword, but with luck Endymion ducked down to avoid the blow.

With his sword Endymion ran forward pushing Diamond back into the hallway. The fight seemed to be equal but underneath Endymion felt his body become exhausted, but he refused to let that effect him while he swung his sword at his opponent.

Having had a long history with Diamond Endymion understood his weaknesses. "You know I always win Diamond." Endymion began to take the mind game approach hoping that this would make up for his lack of energy. "I win at sword fighting, sports, I even won the girl." He felt Diamond trip up because of this, when Diamond should have gone right he went left which left a hole for Endymion to stab at his right shoulder.

Now bleeding Diamond seethed in anger rushing towards Endymion but Endymion dodged him and turned around quick enough to catch Diamond's next hit. "But it's not your fault, the only woman who seems able to love you is your mother, and we all know she is insane." Endymion laughed at him and with his anger he gave Endymion the ability to knock his sword out of his hand. He had won over Diamond, his sword now at his opponent's neck.

"You deserve to have every piece of this sword shoved into your neck, you have tried to harm the one I love and I will never forgive," as he said this Diamond stared straight on, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. "But…" at the word Endymion could see that Diamond was trying to figure out what was going to come next: his death or his redemption. "I want you to live in your shame, and you will never, I mean never see any of us again." Diamond allowed himself to breathe for he knew he was going to live. "But if I ever see you again I will not hesitate in killing you." Diamond nodded and Endymion relieved his sword from the loser's neck and raised his sword ready to know him out, but before he could…"Aghhh!" Serena's scream of pain shredded through his body and moved him to turn and run towards, which was a fatal error for the hero.

The sound of metal tearing through his torso caught him off guard and when the pain hit he fell to his knees. Endymion looked down to see Diamond's sword sticking out of his stomach. Diamond pulled his weapon from Endymion's abdomen, and with that Endymion's sight went dark.

When Endymion left the room with his opponent, the queen turned Serena around, gripping hard onto her wrists she had lost all of her composition, her gray hair frayed and spilling out of her once tight bun. The queen looked at her with such disdain as said, "Now give me the crystal." When Serena looked at her in confusion, she let Serena go and slapped her hard across the face causing Serena's frail body to break and fall to the floor. "If you don't plan to tell me I will just have to pull it out of you." The queen removed both of her gloves and gripped hard around Serena's bare arms.

The pain of the Queen's hatred ran through Serena's veins and she cried out in agony. Serena had never felt such fire that she thought she might have exploded. "Please Stop!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs causing her throat to give out. All there was left for Serena was to feel such pain and no where to put it. "Where is it you brat?" With this question the Queen squeezed harder almost breaking Serena's wrists. Serena gave out a screeching sound. Trying to escape such pain Serena tried to turn her body away from the Queen, she tried to rip her arms out of the queen's grasp, but at that very moment, Serena caught something in her eyes that caused her more pain than any of the Queen's thought.

Endymion had fallen, he was not moving and as she watched in pain as a pool of blood surrounded his body she felt the pain become to much. With this she felt her body explode in pain, her back bent back and she let out a cry of anguish. Quickly followed by a silence accompanied by some kind of numbed calmness.

From Serena's body came a blinding light, the Queen quickly hid her eyes, letting go of her arms. When the light had faded and the queen could see the sight in front of her it made her heart rise. Serena was encased in light all of her clothes had gone to be replaced with a silver aura, the crystal of the queen's dreams placed in the middle.

The queen rose and with out thinking reached out to grab the treasure, but before she could touch it a beam of light shot from the crystal pinning the Queen to the wall. "How dare you?" the voice came from the creature that hovered before the queen. It had the body and face of Serena but it's eyes remained closed as if in some kind of trance and when she spoke it was as if it was the wind itself speaking to hear, cursing her.

"I will give you your wish, you will fill the power of the crystal." With this the Queen was encased in a white light, not giving her enough time to scream. When the beam of light seized there was nothing left of the queen but a pile of dust on the floor.

When the job was done Serena opened her eyes, and with a new lightness, she walked over to the body of her fallen love. Serena took Endymion's head into her lap, pushing his hair back from his face. His eyes opened with the feeling of her touch but she knew he was not going to hold on for much longer. "Serena," his voice was weak. "Shhh," she soothed him and smiled down at him. "I'm so sorry Serena, I tried…" Serena's eyes became flooded with tears but only let one tear slip onto her cheek. "You did save me, I'm free because of you…" She felt his thoughts get weaker as the light in his eyes faded. Soon Endymion seemed completely unresponsive. His eyes were empty of the brightness she had so missed, and the sight made Serena go cold. She doubled over in pain over her lover's body. She cried so hard that she was sure that she would never stop. Her body grew weaker and weaker the more she cried and soon she felt herself become dizzy from weakness. "Oh Endymion," she cried. "Serena?" she sat up, and he had awoken from death.

Before she could truly realize what had happened she fell over, the power of the crystal had sucked out her life force, and when she had sat up she had used the last of her energy.

She fell silent, and still, but with the smallest smile on her face. She was free.

"Serena?" he inspected his body for the wound that had just taken his life a few moments before. "It's gone, Serena, it's…" he looked over to where she used to be, but what he saw made his heart stop. She lay there on there floor bare and she wasn't moving. "Serena!" he yelled hoping she would respond, but she lay still as fallen feather. He leaned over her hoping to hear her breathing but he couldn't hear anything.

He quickly lifted her frail naked body and began to run to somewhere he though may be able to help her.

It seemed to take an eternity before he was able to see the light of the outside. When he reached the scouts, it seemed they had won, but it meant nothing when Serena laid still in his arms. "Help her!" his voice carried to their ears by the wind. They turned to him and seeing Serena in his arms ran to her.

"What happened?" questioned Sailor Mercury, as all nine of the scouts surrounded her hoping that their presence would wake her but Serena still refused to move. "Serena!" Sailor Mars began to shake her, but Pluto was quick to stop her, reassuring her that that would not help their fallen princess.

"Give her to me," the voice was familiar to Endymion, and when he turned he saw the figure who had helped him earlier in his cell. "Who are you?" With out answering his question the figure removed her cloak and wrapped it around the still body of Serena. There stood the queen Serenity, her face still with pain at seeing her daughter so still.

"Oh my poor Serena," the queen spoke and then stood walking over to Endymion. "Do you remember what happened before she fell?" Endymion was stunned by her presence, but the queen was not ready to be patient, when her daughter's life hanged in the balance. "Endymion, you have to remember." He quickly snapped and began to tell her the story of his death and the mysterious white light that came to him. "Where were hurt?" He looked confused by the question but he still indicated towards the hole in his shirt.

The Queen Serenity pointed to it confirming, and he nodded. All she said was "This is going to hurt," before she placed her hands above what used to be a large hole. The pain that came next was unexpected, and his body gave way to it falling to his knees.

To the scouts it seemed that the queen was pulling out an invisible sword from the prince's abdomen, as he gasped in pain. Then out of his abdomen came a beautiful crystal in cased in light and as it released itself from his body he fell to the ground, weak from having the stone pulled from his body.

Four of the sailors, that were not currently hovering over Serena helped him lay down, making sure he was still breathing, as the queen walked over to Serena with the stone in hand. With out a word Queen Serenity placed the crystal over Serena's heart and placed her hand over the stone. With her eyes closed she pushed on the stone and out came this light that began to incase Serena's body. In the first ten seconds the scouts witnessed Serena's open with such force that they may pop out of her head. Her mouth opened and she took a large gasp for breathe and thanks to the crystal she was able to capture it.

The queen quickly pulled the crystal from her daughter's chest and stored it away deep into the clothe of dress. Serena began to look around and when she laid her eyes on all of her friends her heart began too race, but the sight of her mother proved to be too much for her and she quickly lost consciousness. The queen looked up and with a smile said, "Let's go home."


End file.
